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Shellfish and mussels are popular seafood. Some people like one more, others like both, and some have never eaten. They can scare people who are hesitant about shellfish. If you want to try them, it’s best to get to know them.
Clams and mussels are clams, and although they obviously differ in taste, people don’t know much else. How would you tell them apart? Who has the best nutrition? How do you prepare them? Below we take a look at all of their unique features.
Comparison of shellfish and mussels
| Clam | Mussel | |
|---|---|---|
| Habitat | Fresh and salt water; half buried | Fresh and salt water; attached to the substrate in groups |
| Shell | Round or long (razor) shapes, thick, thick, smooth, oval halves of equal size, internal organs, difficult to open | Oblong, irregular round, thin, rough, inside – black, dark blue or brown, silvery or gray. |
| The size | Various sizes; the largest is 4.25 feet long and 500 pounds | Commodity 40 mm |
| Diet | Filter feed | Filter feed |
| Life cycle | No parasitic stage | Glochidia stage |
| Taste | Strong taste, salty, fishy, chewy, holds up better without water | Slightly soft, soft, delicate, chewy, easy to spoil |
| Cooking technique | Raw or cooked in various ways | Cooked in different ways; need sauce |
| Taxonomy | The Mollusca type, the Bivalvia class, is mostly subclass Heterodonta. | Mollusca type, Bivalvia class |
| Food | Vitamin C, Vitamin B12, Potassium, Copper, Calcium, Phosphorus | Vitamin B1, iron, selenium, folic acid, magnesium |
6 main differences between shellfish and mussels
Shellfish vs Mussels: Shell
There are many types of molluscs and mussels, and they come in a variety of sizes. However, some shellfish can grow much larger than mussels. If you look at their shells and work hard, you can notice a few differences, regardless of their type. The shell of a clam always has two halves of the same size, and they are usually oval, with the exception of the razor clam, and are smooth and very tightly closed, which makes it difficult to open. But the shell of the mussel is rough and irregularly rounded or oblong, thin and longer than its width. It comes in black, dark brown or blue with silver or gray inside.
Inside the shell, you will notice that both have muscular feet and pearls, but there is another difference – the presence of organs in the mollusc. The shellfish has a heart, circulatory system, and some parts of the digestive system. The mussel has an enveloping mantle to expose its carapace, anterior and posterior adductors to open or close the carapace, two pairs of gills, and palps for moving food to the mouth.
Molluscs vs mussels: habitat
You can see clams and mussels living in either fresh or salt water, but the way they live is different from each other. The shellfish are half buried in the sand or in the riverbeds, so looking for shellfish is called shellfish digging. Mussels live in groups and attach to the substrate using fine filaments called byssal filaments.
Shellfish versus mussels: life cycle
Although they both reproduce sexually, molluscs and mussels have a big difference: mussels have a parasitic stage called glochidia, in which the larvae attach to the gills, fins, or body of the fish and spread throughout the body of water.
Shellfish vs mussels: taste
Shellfish and mussels are chewy. Shellfish have a stronger marine-like aroma and are salty or fishy. Mussels have a milder, more delicate flavor, which is why they are usually served with a sauce or stew.
Clams versus mussels: cooking technique
Both shellfish and mussels can be cooked in a variety of ways, including steaming, stuffing and baking, roasting, grilling, and stewing. Steaming mussels is the easiest and most common cooking method, and clams are best known in clam soup. You can eat the clams raw, but the mussels must be cooked. In addition, shellfish keep better out of water, but take longer to cook.
Shellfish vs mussels: nutrition
Both shellfish and mussels are great sources of protein, low in calories and saturated fat, and contain all the essential amino acids you need, especially omega-3 fatty acids. They differ in the types of nutrients and the amount of nutrients they contain, although there are individual differences between species. Both are rich in zinc, phosphorus, copper, magnesium, potassium, calcium, iron, and sodium. However, compared to mussels, shellfish tend to contain more vitamin C, vitamin B12, calcium, phosphorus, copper, and potassium. Mussels have more vitamin B1, iron, selenium, folate and magnesium than shellfish. They also have less sodium, so they are better for people who need to monitor their sodium intake.
Next: 12 animals that don’t have a brain and how they survive!
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